Old Cooler Master case I didn’t want to retire.
Opened up the airflow, added modern fans, and logged temps before and after to make sure it actually worked.
Mods:
- Front 120 mm intake added via HDD bay (custom HDD → 120 mm adapter)
- Opened front airflow path behind the mesh
- Dual 140 mm top exhaust (custom 200 → 140 adapters)
- Fan curves tuned for airflow without adding noise
Results:
- ~9 °C lower sustained CPU temps under load
- Much better exhaust flow (hot air no longer trapped up top)
- Still quiet — no jet engine nonsense
Old case, new lungs.
No reason to scrap a tank when it still has good bones.
Data:
Full before/after HWiNFO logs are available on my public Google Drive (can’t link here per sub rules, but happy to share).